Apparatus for feeding and cutting material



INVENTOR 3 She@ts-shepffl John van Buren, .Mm 4% Avmravf lum m- J. VAN BUREN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING AND CUTTING MATERIAL Oct. 27, 1931.

Original Filed April 9. 1928 W, ylunrlllllmllllll J. VAN BUREN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING AND CUTTING MATERIAL Oct. 27, 1931.

Original Filed April 9, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 @Hummin .m m m Wm V va u mw A 1m JY n e# Oct. 27, '1931. 1. VAN BUREN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING AND CUTTING MATERIAL Original Filed April 9. 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR BY John U/m )PQ ATTORNEYQ Patented ct. 27, 1931v l emrah; STATES' PATENfli 'o1-'rica .10mi van nunnm'or BnooxLYN, NEW

YORK

Arrm'rus ronrnnnmo Arm comme murmur.

nppncauonmeanyni s. 1saa, rsm1 No. acum.4 Renewed capanne-r' 1, 1931.

This invention relates to a machine for cutting a continuously moving body of material, such for instance as soap, and

Stood t thermoi'e,

lthou h the invention has. been particularly wor ed 'out manufacture, it, should be underat it is applicable for use inl other material. v

to soa In the manufacture of certain g'pes-lonf. o predesoap it is common practice to cut termined lengths of a body of soap as-y the material comes from the body formingjmachine known in the art as a plodder. hese Ilengths are transferred to a cutter by which the material is out into the proper lengths to form the cakes or bars of soap. 'This method of operation necessitates a 'considerablehandling lof the material, thus adding to the labor cost and, furthermore, ting up of the lengths of soap bod?)7 1n this manner usually results in considera le waste since the end pieces are irre and are often'notvof suiiicient length to permit their use for cakes and bars. v

This invention has for its salient object /to cut down the amount of handling and the manufacture of soap` cakes feeding and cutting of like labor cost in the cr bars or in the material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a continuously operable cutter adapted to coact with and cut a continuously fed body Aof material into the desired uniform lengths without waste.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character"-describedz so constructed and .arranged that elements will be fed entirely by the material cut..

Another Obj ect cf the invention is to .pro-` vide a practical and ecient method for feeding and cutting a continuously moving body of material in such a manner that the material will be uniformly cut regardless of the rate of feed thereof.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following specification taken to a method of feeding and cut-A 5 tino such material.

for use in the lmanufacture of soap and will be described with reference:

cutting the cutgular in lengthiv lengths in such a the cutting in connection with the drawinr s2 which form a. art ofthis a plication, an mfwhich ig.v 1 is an e evational view of apparatus 'constructed in accordance with the invention', lthis view being` taken substantially on 1-1 of Fig. 2,

arrows;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view` of the construction shown in F1g.1;

Fig. 3 `is a sectiona elevation taken substantiallyon line 3--3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation cking in the direction of the.

taken substan- ,they will be moved into cutting relation with the material and will cut the material into uniform lengths. fl`he apparatus'illustrated comprises means for continuously feeding a body of material, means for supporting the body as it is fed, and means for guiding a plurality of freely movable spaced cutting elements into cutting relation with the body,

the movement of the continuously moving bogy of the material.

urther details of the invention will appear from the following description. i

In the particular formof the invention illustrated', a body 10 of soap, which may be cylindrical as shown or if desired may be rectangular or any other shape, is fed out of a machine 11 by means of any suitable feeding mechanism, such as a screw 12. This material is squeezed out through a suitable nozzle or throughy suitable dies in the form of acontinuous bod The cutting mechanism illustrated' com-- on line H ofFig. 1, looking in the the cutting elements being fed entirely by prises an endless belt 26 mounted on rollers 21 and 22 which are freely movable, the roller 21 being shown as adjustable toward and from the roller 22. The belt 2O is also supported on freely movable rollers 25.

The roller-21 is carried by bearing blocks 28 which are in turn carried by screws or lthreaded rods 29 adjustably mounted in a tion that it will be disposed substantially on a level with the under surfaceof the body of material fed from the machine 12.

' The cutting mechanism is supported on a pair of freely rotatable wheels or ypulleys 40 ,and 41. The pulley 40 is mounted in up right supporting 'arms or brackets 42' and 43 secured to the side frames 35 and 36. The

pulley 41 is carried by a spindle or shaft 45' which is mounted -at the up er ends of arms 46 which form portions ol) a pair of bell crank levers pivoted at 48 to the side frames 35 and 36. The other ends 50 of the bell crank levers are mounted between set screws 51 and 52 carried by lugs 53 and 54 extending laterally from t ev sidev frames 35 and 36. By adjusting the set screws 51 and 52 the bell crank levers can beswung on their pivots to move the arms 46 toward and away from the upright supporting brackets 42 and 43.

An endless carrier made up ofv a plurality of cutting elements is mounted on the wheels or pulleys40 and 41. Each cutting element comprises a plate 55 having a recess 56 forming bifurcations 57 and 58, to the ends of which is secured a blade or knife 59. Each of the plates 55 has laterally extending therefrom a pair of pivot lugs 60 and 61 and has laterally extending therefrom in an opposite direction, a lug 62. Each of the lugs 62 is provided with a slot 63 which receives a screw 64 for securing the lug 62 to a lug 65 extendin laterally from a sleeve 68. lach of the sleeves 68 is interposed between a pair of lugs 60 and 61 and a pin 70 is secured in the sleeve by a set screw 71 and extends through the lugs 60 and 61 and has ,Y mounted on each `end thereof a roller 71.

The cutting elements are adjustable toward and away from each other to Vvary the jspacing thereof by means of the screw 64 and when the spacing between the cutting elements is changed the bell crank levers 46 must be tilted in one direction or the other to properly space the pulleys 40 and 41.

In order to guide the cutting elements into cutting relation with the body of material to be cut, guideways 75 and 76 are supported by brackets 77 and receive the rollers 71 carried by the ends of the pins 70. Each guideway consists of an upper rail 80 and a lower rail 81, the lower rail being extended beyond the upper rail, as shown 1n Fig. 1. It will be noted that the guide rails Vare inclined with respect tothe path of movement of the body .of material, thus gradually guiding the cuttin elements into the body of material.

urthermore, it should be `noted that the cutting elements are freely movable around thevpulleys 40 and 41 and are not positively actuated, their movement being caused solely by the engagement of the cutting'elements with the moving body of material. Thus any change in the rate of movement of the body of material will automatically change the rate of movement of the cuttin elements and the cutting elements will cut tle body of material into uniform lengths regardless of the rate of movement of the material.

From the showing in Fig. 1 it will be noted that a roller is mounted between the side plates 3 5 and 36 of the material supporting frame in advance of the belt 20 vand the guide- 'Ways 75 and 76 are so inclined that the materlal is completely severed or cut as it passes overI theroller 85. The severed lengths of v material then pass onto a conveyor which -is driven at afaster rate of speed than the changes in the construction and in the arrangement of the various cooperating parts may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, as expressed in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, means for continuously feeding a body of material, guiding means for said material, an endless carrier comprising a plurality of spaced cutting elements, means to vary the spacing of said elements on said carrier means for guiding said elements successively into cutting'relation to said body of material, said carrier and elements being fed by the material.

2. In combination, means for continuously feeding a body of material, guiding means for said material, an endless carrier comprising a plurality of spaced cutting elements,

.means to vary the spacing of said elements on said carrier, supports for said carrier, and means to adjust said supports toward `and yfrom. each other, means for guiding said elespaced cutting elements,

sesgos ments successively into cutting relation to said body of material, said carrier'and elements ,being fed by the material. 3. ln combination, means for continuous`A ly feeding a body of material, guiding means for said material, an endless carrier comprising a plurality of spaced cutting elements,

means to vary the length of said carrier, and

means for guiding said elements successivel into cutting relation to said body of materia said carrier and elements being fed by the material.

4. In combination, means for forming and continuously feeding a body of material, a conveyor for said material, a plurality of and a acking roll spaced from said conveyor and adapted to cooperate with said elements as the cut iscompleted, and means for guiding said elements into and through of material. y

5. ln combination, means continuously feeding a body of material, an endless conveyor belt having a horizontal surface iior carrying tbe moving material, an

endless cutter belt above the conveyor belt said bo provided with spaced knives projecting later-- 4 contact with said knives.

' said first conveyor belt and exten my hand this 6th da `of A ril 1928. JdHN if ally therefrom, the lower lap of said cutter belt being inclined downwardly toward the carrying surface of the conveyor belt and eX- tending beyond the same, and a roller in advance of the conveyor belt arranged tocontact with said knives.

6. ln combination, means for forming and continuously feeding a body of material, a

pair of endless conveyor belts having -surfaces for carrying the moving material,fthe first of said conveyor belts moving at the rate ,of the moving material, an endless cutter belt above the first conveyor belt provided with spaced knives projecting laterally therefrom,

the lower lap of said cutter belt being inclined downwardlyv toward the carrying surface of said first conveyor .belt and extending beyond the same, anda roller interposed between the two conveyor belts arranged to the lower lap of said cutter belt being inclined surface of ing beyond the same, and a `roller interposed between the two conveyor belts arranged to contact with said knives, said second conveyor belt being downwardly toward the carryin vdriven at a higher rate of speed than that of the firstconveyor belt.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set AN BUREN.

for forming and i 

